Govt tightens the screws on child labour

TNN|

Jun 09, 2008, 02.35 AM IST

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NEW DELHI: The Union labour ministry has notified expansion of the list of professions that are deemed ���hazardous��� under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. This is expected to come into force by September this year. The government has intended to add occupations due to the associated health risks to the list of 15 occupations and 9 other hazardous processes to the existing 57 which are prohibited under the Act for employment of children.

The amended list is to cover processes involving exposure to excessive heat or cold or free silica as in the case of slate, pencil industry, stone grinding, slate stone mining, stone quarries and agate industry. The Act will now also prohibit employment of children below 14 years of age for mechanised fishing, timber handling and loading, food processing, beverage industry, mechanical lumbering and warehousing.

Under the current Child Labour Act, 1986, occupations and processes deemed hazardous include the making of glass, bangles and fireworks, beedi-making, carpet-weaving and cement manufacturing. The Act also regulates conditions in industries where children are still permitted to be employed. Regulation covers all the occupations and processes that are not specifically prohibited for employment of children. The Child Labour Technical Advisory Committee had recommended that nine more processes be added to the list of hazardous occupations. The list was expanded after consultations with the states on the issue.

Also expected is a detailed protocol that lays down procedures for repatriating migrant child workers to their homes and rehabilitating them so that rescued children do not drift back into the workforce. States and ministries have been making several suggestions to the Centre for the protocol.

Along with these incremental steps, the government is also working on a complete overhaul of the 1986 Act to bring it in line with evolving ground realities. States and ministries have been making several suggestions to the Centre for amending the law. The Central Monitoring Committee for the law���s implementation has also backed the need for changing the law during its last annual meeting in June 2007. States' views on the various proposals have already been received.